Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 665: Unnecessary tour.

A group of children started running alongside the vehicles, appearing to be very excited. They had big smiles on their faces and waved eagerly.

Hades touched his ear, because he also had an order to give. "Hadrian. throw the candies."

The sunroof of the last vehicle was opened and three men stood up. They started throwing sweets into the streets. The children slowed down to pick up sweet treats that they had not seen in more than a year.

Adults, plagued by desire and greed joined the candy race.

"What is that for?" Sunshine asked Hades.

He grinned cunningly and whispered, "When I saw children in the footage sent back by the drones, I asked Dr. Sing to prepare some candies coated in a sleeping agent. It is not dangerous, but it can make one lethargic and put them to sleep for an hour. We are not throwing out a lot, just one hundred candies. If they plan to use the kids as a weapon, they will shoot themselves in the foot."

Sunshine was impressed. "No wonder they call you the fox."

They were escorted toward a large hotel building that seemed to be the hive of activity for the territory. Standing on the front steps was Mark Walden himself, flanked by his advisors. When he saw the vehicles, he broke out into a look of pure, theatrical joy, waving as if he were welcoming old friends.

He had no idea that tucked inside those very vehicles was a squad of invisible soldiers that were aiming to steal his treasure.

Sunshine stepped out of the car, her expression a mask of diplomatic grace. She leaned her head slightly toward her shoulder, speaking into her hidden comms. "Lisha," Sunshine called the name firmly. "Activate the halo rings. Now."

Just as the heavy doors of the hotel building swung open, offering a glimpse of a lavishly set dining hall, Mark Walden held up a hand. A wide, theatrical grin stretched across his face, the kind of expression a magician uses before pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

"Wait, wait!" Mark exclaimed, his voice booming with a sudden burst of inspiration. "Before we go any further, and certainly before we put pen to paper on any agreements, I’ve had a brilliant idea. I think I should show you around first. Just so you can see the latest, grandest addition to Fortress Four!"

Hades stepped closer to Sunshine, his shoulder brushing hers. He didn’t look at her, keeping his eyes on the gracious host, but his voice was a barely audible rasp in her ear. "I don’t like this, Suni. This feels like he’s leading us straight to a slaughterhouse. A scenic tour is the oldest trick in the book for an ambush."

Sunshine didn’t break her diplomatic smile, but her hand instinctively twitched toward the bag which had her hammer. "I do not like this either." She told him. This was not a scenario they prepared for.

"I’m way ahead of you guys," Lisha’s voice crackled sharply through their earpieces. "The drones are already banking over your coordinates. I’m scrubbing the footage for heat signatures, concealed weapons, or hidden soldiers. So far? It’s clean. If there’s an ambush waiting, I will let you know."

Sunshine silently told the system to alert her in case it sensed any danger.

[Yes host]

She also sent Hunter ahead, just in case. In invisible mode, not even the superhumans could detect the dog. Reluctantly, they climbed back into the vehicles and set off. As the convoy rolled slowly through the Walden base, the true scale of their operation began to reveal itself. It was a testament to the success of their smuggling rings_ and a slap in the face to the Fortress four security.

Sunshine’s eyes narrowed as she stared out the window. "Look at that," she muttered to Hades.

Stacked high against the side of a warehouse were dozens of grain sacks, each one clearly stamped with the Quinn logo. As they passed the commercial sector, the storefronts were a bitter sight. They were stocked to the rafters with products that had clearly been diverted from Fortress Four’s supply lines. She saw crates of exotic fruits she had personally brought back from other worlds, their vibrant colors looking out of place in the dusty Walden streets. Even the local pharmacies were displaying Vita E_ the high-grade energy giving medicine that was supposed to be strictly regulated.

"Well," Sunshine whispered, her jaw tightening. "They must have been at it this for a very long time." The smuggling had started earlier than she imagined. Probably before she opened the trade market.

The tour took them through the residential sectors and the markets, but Sunshine noticed the one glaring omission, Mark stayed miles away from the junkyard and the mining site. It was a curated, polished version of their world, designed to impress and distract_ especially the residents with plastic smiles that stood by the roadsides waving.

Finally, the vehicles looped back and came to a halt in front of the hotel once more. Mark stepped out, smoothing his coat with an air of immense self-satisfaction. "Incredible, isn’t it?" Mark bragged, gesturing to the sprawling walls and the buzzing activity. "I’m quite proud of it. I practically constructed this entire base single-handedly. Every brick, every law, every bit of progress you see... it all came from my vision."

The sheer audacity of the statement was too much given how much they had stolen from her. Sunshine let out a sharp, audible scoff. It wasn’t a diplomatic sound; it was the sound of someone who had watched people bleed and sweat to build a real fortress, listening to a scavenger claim the glory.

The air went cold_ not from her powers, but from the sudden tension. Howard, standing just behind Mark, stepped forward. His face was a mask of suppressed rage, his lips pinched tight as if he were trying to keep a scream inside.

Howard had never forgiven the Quinns for casting him out of Fortress Four. His journey to the Walden territory had been a nightmare; he’d been hunted and nearly disemboweled by a three-legged bear that took his eye. If the Walden spies_ who were constantly lurking like vultures around the fortress four borders_ hadn’t stumbled upon him, he’d be nothing more than a skeleton in the wasteland.

"Something funny, Mrs. Quinn?" Howard asked, his voice trembling with a bitter edge.

Mark shot Howard a look_ a sharp, warning glare that clearly told him to watch his manners in the presence of guests who hadn’t been robbed yet. Howard stiffened, sinking back into the shadows of the advisors, but his eyes remained fixed on Sunshine with pure loathing.

Sunshine stepped forward, her eyes locking onto Mark’s. She didn’t look at Howard; he wasn’t worth the energy.

"Oh, I didn’t find anything funny, Mark," Sunshine said, her voice smooth but carrying a lethal undertone. "But I did find it... strange. Your base is incredibly well-stocked. In fact, it’s filled to the brim with Fortress Four products. Grain, fruit, even our medicines. You must have worked really hard to stock up."